This deer-themed chain has taken Toronto by storm since first arriving from Taiwan in 2016. Known for their Deerioca, an extra bouncy signature tapioca made from scratch, The Alley now has eight locations across Toronto and even more in the GTA. 

With CoCo's scattered across the city (and the world), a trip to this BBT chain is typically a guarantee of quality, or at least consistent not-too-soft, not-too-firm tapioca. CoCo's first launched in Taipei in 1997 and has been able to keep up with the latest drink trends.

East Chinatown was sorely lacking in bubble tea shops, so thankfully this brand with the big-haired logo pulled through. There are also four other locations to try Boba Boy’s iced black sugar tapioca milk teas and Oreo Coco Smoothies (in reusable bottles if you’re ordering on an app.)

Fun fruit teas are the specialty of this recently arrived chain with cafes in Koreatown, Chinatown and south of Yonge and Bloor. They’ve got great milk options too, but the standouts are definitely the drinks with real fruit bits inside. According to Yi Fang, all the fruit is sustainably sourced.

Fresh tapioca made in-house daily makes this chain a favourite, with a chewier mouthfeel than other spots. They’ve got six different types of these chewy balls, including the stuff in their famous brown sugar Dirty Milk Tea. You can find a handful of stores around the city.

Head to Scarboro Village Mall for this chain from Guangdong. Here it's all about drinks made with slices of watermelons and other fruits cut right before your eyes. You can get massive 1-litre teas for impressive cheap prices too.